halloran



Feb. 3, 1931. P. J. HALLORAN WATER'CEMENT RATIO CNCRETE BATCHER 1926 7 sheets-Sheet l Filed July 16 Fb- 3, l93l P. Jf HALLORAN 1,790,813

WATER-CEMENT RATIO CONCRETE BATCHER Filed July 16' 1926 '.1 sheets-sheet 2 jkl/@@2079 @26? .ZffZZamw/ www,

Feb. 3, 1931.' P, J, HALLQRAN 1,790,813

WATERCEMENT RATIO CONCRETE BATCHER Filed July 16' 1926 '7 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fb 3, 193.1- P. J. HALLORAN 1,790,813

WATER*GEMENT RATIO CONCRETE BATCHER Filed July 16, 1926 7 sheets-.sheet 4 Feb. 3, 1931. P, ]lHALLORAN 1,790,813

WATER-CEMENT RATIO CONCRETE BATCHER Filed July 16' 1926 v sheets-sheet 5 Feb. 3, 1931. P. J, HALLQRAN '1,790,813

WATERCEMENT RATIO CONCRETE BATCHER Filed July 16, 1926 7 sheets-'sheet e Feb. 3, 1931. P, J, HALLQRAN 1,790,813

WATER'CEMENT RATIO CONCRETE BATCHER Filed July 16' 1926 7 sheets-sheet 7 Patented Feb. 3, 1931 4 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,-

PAUL J. HALLOBAN, OF BOGOTA, NEW JERSEY 'WLTEB-CEIENT RATIO CONCRETE fIBATCHEB,

Application illed July 16, 1926. Serial lo. 122,887. Y

This invention relates to a machine for mixture will necessitate the addition of hatching the ingredients which are to enter waterto keep the mixture workable, hence into aV concrete mixture. An object of the Will increase the water-cement ratio and reinvention is to provide apparatus for chargduce the strength ofthe concrete.

5 ing the mixers with successive batches of Ignorance as to the actual controlling fea- 55 ingredients which are controlled in suchfa ture in concrete mixing which determines the way that a constant ratio is maintained be- Strength has resulted 1n great uncertainty of tween the amounts of cement and water in results even in jobs where the specifications each batch as well as constant ratios between were most carefully drawn. Specifications 1T) the solid constituents. v Another object of based on a given water-cement ratio, howm the machine is to economize on labor costs ever, are particularly advantageous to both by providing controls which can be maniputhe owner and the contractor slnce it makes lated by a single operator. Another object their interests identical. With the waterot the machine is to provide a construction cement ratio only specified, the contractor J. which will permit the taking down of a large Will find it to his advantage to use the larg- 15 machine for transportation in the simplest est amount 0f aggregates consistent with possible manner. Y workability, thus insuring the densest and It hasv been customary among concrete most economical concrete possible for a given workers in the past to measure with considstrength.

erable care the amounts of cement, sand, and It iS thus necessary to maintain a constant 7U aggregates going into a charge for the con- Water-cement ratio in successive batches if crete mixer, the ratios between these sub- 'uniform strength is to be realized throughout stances being determined by the use for the structure made of the concrete. If a cerwhich the concrete was intended. The tain specified strength is required, the correamount of Water to be introduced into the spondlng water-cement ratio must be deter- 75 mixer with the charge'was left more or less mined and then adhered to in hatching the to the individual operator. It has been ingredients. For good uniform concrete found, however, that the Water content of Work, it is also highly desirable that the rai a batch plays an important part in the chartios of sand and coarse aggregate to the ce- Y acteristics of the inished concrete. The re ment be kept substantially constant." If dry 5.,

sults of extended research inlaboratories and sand were always available, the desired quanin the field show that within the limits of tities of each ingredient could be measured Workability the strength of concrete defor each batch and dumped into the mixer. pends almost Wholly upon the ratio of water The practical carrying out of this method of to cement in the mixture, the amounts of hatching is, however, complicated by the fact g5 sand and coarse aggregate being determined that the sand usedin concrete mixing is and kept constant within practical limits usually piled on the ground without shelter only for the purpose of controlling the charand is therefore liable to considerable variaacteristic of W0rkability, While the aggretion in moisture content due to rain and evap- 13 gates themselves must be composed of clean, oration. This variation is suilicient to affect 90 durable particles.. It is highly important materially the'water-cement ratio of the mixtherefore to maintain a constant and predeture in which the sand is employed unless termined Water-cement ratio in the batches such moisture is allowed for. The presence which are put into the mixer. -The actual of moisture also adds anothercomplication ratio employed in any given instance will deto the operation of proportional measuring 1u, pend on the strength which willbe required of ingredients, since it is well known that of the finished concrete which will be balthe bulk density of sand varies to a considanced against considerations of economy, erable extent with the percentage of moissince the introduction of a larger proportion ture content, the volume of a given quantity 59 of the relatively cheap aggregates into a of sand increasing with an increase of moisnm the balance.

ture from bone dry up toA a certain percentage, then decreasing until the volume of completel y saturated sand is substantially equal to that of the bone-dry sand. Hence in measuring sand by volume, it is necessary for uniformity to maintain a substantially constant percentage of moisture. Since it is impracticable in field work to dry out the sand, the simplest way to measure it uniformly 1s to add water to the sand until it is nearly or wholly saturated.

By my invention, I provide apparatusfor maintaining a constant predetermined Water-cement ratio with ease and certainty and also for maintaining the ratios between the cement, sand and coarse aggregate constant. Briefly, I attain these ends by automatically measuring batches of cement, sand andlcoarse aggregate .in separate measuring hoppers. As the sand enters its hopper, a predeten, mined quantity of water `just insufficient to flood the' sand is injected into the hopper with the sand. The coarse aggregate is dumped directly into the chute leading to the mixers, but the measured cement and sand are dumped into balancing hoppers which have been previously counterbalanced with weights so as to balance when the cement hopper is empty and the sand hopper holds a measure of bone-dry sand. Vhen cement and'wet sand are dumped in the respective hoppers, therefore, it is apparent that the sand itself will be counter-balanced by the weights, hence to balance the hoppers, suflicient water must be present (including the water with which the sand was wet) to olfset the presence of the cement in its hopper. The actual ratio of the water .to the cement will thus depend on the relative distances of their centers of gravity from the fulcrum of This is controlled by mechanism to be hereinafter fully described.

Many other advantageous features of operation and details of structure will be apparent to one skilled in the art from the -disclosure of my invention in the description which follows and on the drawings, of which Figure 1lis a front elevation of the entire machine.

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the same.

Figure 3 is an end elevation of aportion of the machine with parts broken away showing the operating mechanism in more detail.

Figure 4 is a front View of a portion of the machine with the frame broken away and several of the parts shown in vertical section.

Figure 5 is a detail 1of a hub member of the cradle shown in Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a detail of the end construction of one 0f the measuring hoppers shown in Figure 4.

Figure 7 is a plan, partly in section, of the cradle with the balancing hoppers.

Figure 8 is a section ta en on the line 8-8 of Figure 7.

Figure 9 is a detail partly in section showing the means for adjusting the movable cement balancing hopper.

Figure 10 is a partial end elevation of thc l cradle for the balancinflr hoppers.

Figure 11 is a detail showing the pivot support of the balancing hoppers on the cradle frame.

Figure 12 is a section on the line 12-12 of Figure 11.

Figure' 13 is an isometric view of the complementary parts constituting the pivot sup'- port.

Figure 14 is a section of the balancing and cradle frames taken on the line 14.-14; of Figure 8.

Figure 15 is a partial plan view of a modilied form of supporting frame for the balancing hoppers. v

Figure 16 is a section on the line 16-16 of Figure l5.

Figure 17 is a detail View of the same.

Figure 18 is a section on the line 18-18 of Figure 16. `i

Figure 19 illustrates the chief principle on which the machine is based b showing diagrammatically the moments o the various elements associated with the balancing hoppers.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 for a general description of the machine as a whole, 20 indicates a cement bin of suitable size capable of holding a considerable quantity of cement. This separate-d from a sand bin 21 and a coarse aggregate bin 22 by suitable partitions arranged in such a way that the relative capacities of the three bins will be roughly proportional to the ratios of the contents as used in average construction work. In the operation of the machine, the cement descends through a suitable aperture in the bottom of the bin 20 into a cylindrical hopper contained in a chute 23, the sand descending in a. like manner into a cylindrical hopper in a chute 211. The cement and sand ho pers are designed to be rotated by suitab e gearing, to be hereinafter described, and to dump their contents respectively into hoppers 25, 26, which are secured to a balancing beam which, as illustrated, may be in the form of a rockable frame 27. The frame 27 with the hoppers 25, 26 is mounted with* in a cradle which comprises two circular end members 28, 29 connected by longitudinally extending bars including a pair of-bulb angle side bars 30 (Figures 7 and 8) and one or more angles or channels 31. Thev cradle is adapted to be rotated on its axis to dump the hoppers 25, 26 into a lower hopper 32, from which chutes 33 and 34 lead respectively into mixers 35, 36. These mixers are provided as usual with rockable scoops 37, 38 by which the batches of concrete when mixed may be educted from the respective mixers in a manner well known in the art. The coarse soA A aggregate does not enter the balancing hop- The balancing hoppers The balancing hoppers 25, 26, as previously mentioned, are designed to receive respectively cement and sand from .the measuring hoppers directly above them. The hopper 26 is fixed to the frame 27, the hopper 25 for the cement being slidable thereon. Its osition is adjusted relativel to the balancmg axis as by a threaded stu 40 secured to an end of the hopper (Figure 9). The stud passes through an interiorly threaded hand wheel 41 which is mounted against longitudinal motion as by a flange 42 set into a suitable boss 43 secured to a clrcular plate 44 mounted against the end of the frame 27 which is adjacent tothe cement hopper 25. To this plate 44 may be attached suitable countcrweights 45 for a purpose to bedescribed, Cooperating with the counterweights 45 for fine adjustment is a slidable Weight 46 (Fivure 4) which as shown is mounted to slide on a pair of parallel bars I 47, 48 (Figure 7) and isshifted asfby a threaded shaft 49 which engages an interior thread on the sliding Weight 46 and is rotatable as by a hand Wheel 50, the bars 47, 48

' preventing rotation of the Weight 46 with the shaft 49 and providing support therefor. The counterweights 45 and 46 are designed to balance the dry weight of the quantity of the balancing hoppers must be in inverse ratio to the distances ofthe centers of their respective hoppers from the axis of balance,

' Vthis ratio having been converted from the ratio by volume commonly known to the art. Thus by adjusting the cement hopper 25 toward or from the axis of balance, a predetermined ratioof water to. cement can easily be obtained by depositing any desired quantity of cement in the hopper 25, depositing a given quantity of sand in the hopper 26 which if dry would exactly counterbalance the Weights 45, 46, and adding to Whatever moisture may be inthe sand, additional Water to balance the hoppers. When the hoppers are thus balanced, the moments of the sand and of the counterweights taken With the moments of the hoppers and supporting elements themselves 011l the tWo sides of the balancingaxis, Will neutralize each other, so that the moment of the water in the sand hopper 26 and the cement in the hopper 25 Will also have to balance each other. Since the moment in each case is the Vproduct of the mass by the distance of the'center of gravity of the mass from the axis of balance, the relative distances ofthese centers of gravity from the axis will be inversely proportional to the masses of the cement and water. suitable scale 51 may be provided on one of the longitudinal bars 30 of the cradle to cooperate With an index 52 mounted on the Afro cement hopper 25 to indicate the positions of Vthe hopper 25 at any desired ratio converted from Weight to volume.

Although dry cement and Vwell wetted ,vide for ingredients which may have -a tendency to heap up in the hopper when dumped in from the hopper above, I may'support either or both of the balancing hoppers 25,

26 pivotallyon the frame 27 so as to permit e them a limited rocking motion on an axis transverse to the cradle. By this means, small variations in the heapmg of successive batches in the hoppers 25, 26 would merely cause the hoppers to tilt on their' individual axes, and as long as the amount of natural tilt did not exceed the limitpermitted by the apparatus, the center of gravity of each hopper With its contents would be in the vertical plane containing its rocking axis. Such a form of support is illustrated in Figures 15, 16, 17 and 18, wherein the cement hopper 25, instead of being mounted to slide inthe frame 27, is swung on pivot supports 53 which are fixed to the sides of the hopper 25 and enter bearing blocks 54 which slide on the balancing frame 27 and kare adjustably positioned therein as by a threaded shaft 40 and hand Wheel 41 as previously described. The'range of rocking motion of the hopper 25 may be limited as by suitable extensions 55 of the pivot-bearing block 53 which engage a iiange of the channel 27 when the hopper 25 is tilted to a certain angle on the pivots 53. The sand hopper 26 may also be pivotally supported as by pivot members 56 bearing in suitable blocks 57 which are carried by the balancing frame 27. The pivot members 56 may lbe provided With extensions 55 to limit the angle of tilt as previously described.

The frame 27 on Whichthe hoppers 25 and 26 are directly (or, if preferred, pivotally) mounted is supported for a limited balancing motion by a pair of pivot members 60 (Figures 11-14)` which are formed with suitable knife edges 61 to provide for a reasonably delicate balancing of the frame 27 and the balancing hoppers. An enclosed bearing is provided to keep the'l knife edges 61 free from water, grit or other substances which -might otherwise interfere with the free action of the balance. 'Ihe pivots 60 are preferably mounted on a block 62 of suitable shape which -is secured by rivets, welding, or otherwise, to the trame 27, the two pivots 6() being placed accurately in line so that the axis oi' balance of the traine 27 is perpendicular to its length. A circular recess 63 is preferably formed in the face of the block 62 from which the pivot 60 projects, this recess heilig adapted to receive a flange 64 projecting from a block 65 which serves as a bearing for the pivot 60l and is secured as by bolts 66 or otherwise to each of the longitudinal frame members vof the cradle 28. A hole 67 is formed in the block 65 and is suitably shaped to receive the pivot and to allow a limited rocking motion thereof on the edge 61, a slight lateral clearance being allowed between the pivot 60 and the side walls of the hole 67, as shown in Figure 14. The vertical dimensions of the pivot and the hole which receives it are very nearly the same, however, so that vertical play of the pivot in the hole is practically eliminated. The flange 64 and the recess 63, into which it enters, are concentric with the edge 61 so that the slight rocking motion ot the.

frame 27 causes the flange 64 to rotate within the recess 63, but not to bind therein. As will be seen from Figure 12, the bearing block is secured against t-he face of a cradle frame member 30 so that the pivot member 60 is thus completely protectedfrom interference by the entry of foreign substances into the hole 67. This construction provides a pivotal support Jfor the balancing frame carrying the balancing hoppers, which is suiiiciently-sensitive for the purpose desired, and at the same time provides a rugged support for the balancingl hoppers as they are inverted with the cradle.

The cradle in which the balanced hoppers are carried comprises two circular end pieces 28, 29, (Figure 4)', which are adapted to revolve on roller bearings' 670 set in a suitably curved pair of members 671 which form part of the main frame of the apparatus. The end member 28 adjacent the cement hopper 25 is of a general angular ring shape,4

thus permitting free access to the weights 45 and the adjusting wheels 41 and 50. Secured to each end member 28, 29 are a pair of U-shaped members 68 (Figure 14), the. ends 69 of which project into the path of an end member 271 of the balancing frame 27 and are suiiiciently separated to permit a limited rocking of the Jframe 27, thus'keeping the motion of the balancing hoppers about their balancing axis'within narrow limits. rIhe U-shaped limit members 68 are preferably mounted for vertical adjustment and for this purpose are secured to the cradle ends 28, 29 as by bolts 681 which pass through vertical slts 682 (Figure 10) and. are provided with nuts 683 to lclamp the limit members 68 in adjusted position. In order to provide positive positionin means to prevent the limit members 68 rom being displaced accidentally from their. adjusted positions, I mount set screws 684 in suitable brackets 685 with lock nuts 686, an end of the screw 6'84 being adapted to engage one of thel limit members 68.

In order to provide additional support for the lateral thrust of the frame 27 and the hoppers as the cradle revolves to dump the latter, I secure suitable lugs 687 to the cradle ends 28, either directly or as side pieces formed with the limit members 68. The lugs 687 are preferably located outside the side members of the frame 27 and receive the weight of the frame and the hoppers 25, 26 when the latter are turned on their sides in the course of inverting or righting. On the lower end 69 of one of the U-shaped members 68 engaging the end of the frame 27 which is adjacent the sand hopper 26, is mounted an electrical contact 70 (Figure 14) connected by a slip-ring contact and suitable wiring to a signal 71, which may be a. lamp, bell or other equivalent, and to a source of energy 72, such as abattery, and groundedto the machine as at 73.` The frame 27 is likewise grounded as indicated at 74 so that when suficient weight is added to the sand hopper.

side of the balancing frame 27 to depress the right hand end thereof, contact is made at the point 70 which actuates an alarm signal 71 of some kind to warn the operator to shut oli the water which h as been flowing into the sand hopper 26. It would be a relatively easy matter to arrange an automatic cut-olf for the water supply to the sand hopper 26 to be actuated when the frame 27 makes contact with the'point 70, but for practical operation the signaling device is considered more'- desirable in .that it is simpler and because it eliminates apparatus which would be liable to get out of order from the hard usage it would ordinarily receive. The end member 29 (Figures3 and 4) of the cradle is in the form ofa wheel, to the central portion of which is secured the hub 75 of a heavy gear wheel. 76 by which the cradle maybe successively inverted and righted to empty the balancing hoppers and to position them to re-` ceive another charge.

l The measuring hoppers Directly over the balancing hoppers 25 and 26 are the chutes 23 and 24 which contain measuring hoppers 77 and 78 to be illed with end of the hopper 78 is secured to a wheel 82 posed axially of the hopper 77. The opposite which also carries gear teeth on its periphery` by which the hoppers 77 and 78 may be rotated' in unison. The gear wheel 82 is pr0- vided with an axle member 821 projecting from the hub member 81 by which itis supporte-d in a suitable bearin formed in a' bracket 822 secured to the mam frame of the machine. The chutes 23- and 24 'which contain the hoppers 77 and 78 each have an opening upward into their respective supply bins 20, 21, and another opening below, through which cement and sand are discharged into the balancing hoppers 25, 26. The openings in the bins 20, 21 are shaped to register with the open tops of the hoppers 77, 78 when the latter are in righted osition, the rims of the bin openings being a apted to conform closely to the cylindrical shape ofthe hoppers so that the openings are closed oif by the cylindrical walls of the hoppers when the latter are inverted. A

The* chute 24 may be made cylindrical in form to hold the cylindrical hopper 78 with a slight clearance between their respective walls. To keep the space between the vchute and hopper clean, longitudinal wipers 780 (Figure 3) may be formed or secured on the outer surface of the hopper 24 to sweep the interior surface of the chute 24. Within the supply bins 20 and 21 and directly over the measuring hoppers are mounted agitators designed to stir up the cement and sand adjacent the openings and to prevent arching' of these materials thereover. These agitators may be of any desired construction. As shown, they comprisea 'series of blades 83 mounted on a common shaft 84 near an end of which is fixed a gear wheel 85 by which the agitators may be driven. The measuring hopper7 7 is preferably built to receive a given quantity of dry' cement suitable for the size of the machine constructed. The amount of cement therefor supplied for eachA batch of concrete is fixed for any one machine. In order to be able to'vary the' proportion of sand and cement, the sand hopper is constructed with means for adjusting the ca- -pacity thereof. These means as illustrated in Figure 6 comprise a movable end wall or bulkhead 86'havingr a wide tapered peripheral flange 87 fitted closely within the cylindrical wall of the hopper 78. The bulkhead 86 is preferably supplied with a boss 88 which is bored axially and is internally threaded to receive a screw shaft 89 which projects inwardly from the hub 81 and is supported in a recess therein, being retained in place as'by a set screw 90, the end of which enters a peripheral groove 91 permitting the screw shaft 89 to be turned with reference to the hub 81. Also threaded on the shaft 89 is a lock nut tosecure the endmembcc se in cej'ucccd-pcc'iacn. This 1cck ma i comprlaes a hand wheel 92 which bears againstl an inner bulkhead 93 on which is a tapering ange 94 which fits the complemenc tary taper inside of the flange 87. Rotation of the hand wheel 92 in the proper-direction will ush the bulkhead 93 to the left and, expand vy wedgin action the flange 87 against the wall of the opper 78, thus making a Water-tight end to the hopper. Longi- -tudinal adjustment ofthe bulkhead 86 may be made .by loosening the hand wheel 92, thereby permitting the inner bulkhead 93 to move to the right and releasing the flange 87. Rotation of the shaft 89 by a hand wheel 95 fixed thereon will cause thebulkhead 86 to move in or out and thereby todecrease' or increase the capacity ofthe measurin hopper78. When the bulkhead 86 is in t e position desired, rotation of the hand wheel 92 will move the inner bulkhead 93 to the Water may be supplied to any suitable connection such as a pipe 96 (Figure 1), this supply pipe being provided with suitable branches to carry water to the various points where it is needed. One branch 97 leads to a two-way flushometer valve 98 by the manipulation of which a measured quantity of water, say one gallon, may be supplied to either of the concrete mixers 35, 36. This charge lof water is customarily introduced into concrete mixers immediately in advance of a batch of materlals and serves as a washing charge to wet the interior of the mixer and to prevent any of the batch of materials from sticking to the inside thereof. This measured quantity of water, which is regulated by the action of the flushometervalve, is allowed for in adjusting the counter- Aweights of the balancing frame 27. Another lbranch 99 of the water-feed line is controlled as by a quick action shut-olf valve 100 and supplies Water directly tothe balancing said hopper. When a charge of sand is introduced into the sand hopper 26 in the normal operation of the machine, it will bel outweighed by the charge of cement introduced :into the hopper 25 plus the counter-balancing weights 45,46. The o erator thereu on opens the valve 100 and al ows water to ow through the pipe 99 into the sand hopper 26 until the balancing frame 27 is tilted, closingv the contact 70 and giving the warning signal to the operator who thereupon promptly closesV the valve 100.

A third branch 101 passes through a quick action shut-off valve 102 and is led upwardly through a suitable lushometer valve 103 (Figure 3) to a suitable discharge 104 which is placed at the opening in the bottom of the sand bin 21 directly over the measuring hopper 78. The valve 102 is for emergency use and to shut oil the supply to the sand bin when the machine is shut down-after the days run. The valve 103 is preferably connected with the gear 82 as by a suitable pitman 105vwhich connects the valve arm 106 with a crank 107 mounted on the axle 821. Each time the sand hopper 78 is rotated into upright position to receive a charge of sand from the storage bin 21, the iushometer valve 103 is opened to permit a predetermined quantity of water to {iow throughthe discharge member 104 into the hopper 78 with the sand which falls through from the bin to fill the hopper. The flushometer valve is adjusted to supply a quantity of water which will nearly, but not completely, flood the charge of sand which is received from the bin by the hopper 78.- It is desirable to use water in this manner to saturate the sand in order to secure uniformity in the actual quantities of sand measured out by volume, it being well known that partially moistencd sand varies considerably in volume density. It is also, however, desirable to avoid a complete flooding of the sand inasmuch as .this would require water-tighting between the hopper 78 and the chute 24.I which would add materially to the construction cost of the apparatus and would require wearing parts which would have to be periodically replaced.

Driving mechanism Power for driving the machine may be supplied from any suitable source. As shown, an electric motor 108 is mounted on the main frame of the machine in a suitable position and has connected therewith a drive shaft 109 on which is fixed a worm 110. T he motor is intended to operate continuously during the operation of the machine,. and through the worm 110, which meshes with a worm ring gear 111 fixed on the mixer 36, to drive this mixer at a constant speed. A ring gear 112 may be mounted on the mixer 36 to mesh with a suitable gear 113 by which a shaft 114 is driven which extends across the machine and carries at litsfurther end another gear similar to 113, the latter meshing with a ring gear 115 mounted on the mixer 35. Thus both the mixers 35 and 36 are driven together at equal speeds. The worm `110 is also adapted to mesh with a worm gear 116 which is formed with a toothless sector 117 of sutlicient size to clear the worm 110.A

be connected as by aclutch 119 of suitable Y construction to a gear 120 which meshes with the gear Wheel 76 and another gear wheel 121 of equal size which is secured to the coarse ,aggregate measuring hopper 39. The gears l 76 and 121 are just twice the size of the gear 120 so that one complete revolution of the gear 120 will cause half a revolution of the gears 76 and 121. As will bev seen in Figure 3, the gear wheel 82 which is secured to the cement and sand-measuring hoppers is' in mesh with the gear 76 which rotates the balancing hoppers, these gears being 'of equal size so that half a revolution of one will re-l sult in half of a revolution of the other. The balancing hoppers and the measuring hoppers for sand and cement are so related that when one set is upright, 4the other set is inverted, and the relation of these hoppers to the worm gear 116 is such that when the toothless sector 117 is registering with the worm 110, all the hoppers in the machine are either directly upright or completely inverted.

The clutch 119, if incorporated in the machine, must be of a kind which positively locks its inter-engaging parts i-n one relative position only to maintain in opera! tion the correct relation between the hoppers and the toothless sector 117. A clutch at this point, however, is not essential and may be f omitted. The coarse aggregate hopper 39 is related to the balancing hoppers 25, 26 in such a way that these three hoppers vare all upright or inverted together.

The operation of the machine is controlled through the live hand levers illustrated in Figure 1. As shown, the middle lever 122 may be connected by means ot a bell crank arm 123 and a suitable link or cable 124 with a lever 125- which carries on its'axis a loose pinion 126 meshing with the gear wheel 76. A suitablepawl 127 is mounted on the lever 125 and is positioned to engage in the teeth of the pinion 126. Operation of the lever 122 will cause the lever 125 to rock and turn the pinion 126 through the engagementor` the pawl 127. This rotation of the pinion 126 is communicated through the gear wheel 76 to the gear 120 and the worm gear 116, the result being that the worm gear 116 is moved into meshing relation with the driven worm 110,'whereupon the worm gear 116 is driven by the worm 110 through one complete revolution, this resulting, as previously described, in one-half revolution simultaneously of the gear wheels 76, 82 and 121, whereby the balancing hoppers 25, 26 and the coarse aggregate hopper 39 are inverted, while the measuring hoppers 77, 78 are righted, or vice versa. The hand levers'128', 129 are connected by a suitablecable 130 with a sheave 131 mounted on the axis of a flap valve 132 which may be rocked to open the chute 33 and closel the chute 34, or to open theV chute 34 and close the chute 33, whereby a charge materials from the movable hoppers above may be directedeither into the mixer 35 or the mixer 36. The flap valve 132enables the operator to direct successive charges -alternately into the two mixers 35, 36, orv if preferred one mixer alone can be used. Hand levers 133, 1,34 may Ybe connected respectively vby vsuitable cables 135, 136 to lever arms 137, 138, which are mounted to rock respectively with the scoops 37, 38 to cause a mixture to be discharged from the mixer 35er 36. As will be seen from Figure 1, all the controls for the machine are placed within easy reach of .a single operator and are designed to be easily manipulated by him.

Before starting the actual operation of the machine, the bulkhead 86 is first adjusted in the sand-measuring hopper 7 8 to measure -the amount of sandv predetermined by characteristies of workability which will have the desired ratio to the fixed quantity of cement which constitutes a charge of thecement hop# per 77 In like manner, the capacity of the coarse aggregate hopper 39 is adjusted as de sired. A charge of moist sand is then meas- ,.ured in the hopper 78 and is removedtherefrom and thoroughly dried. This charge of dried sand is then placed in the balancing hopper 26. The movable balancing hopper 25 is then adjusted longitudinally so that 'the pointer 53 is opposite the number on the scale 51 indicating the desired water-cement ratio.A The counterweights'45 and 46 are then adjusted to balance the hoppers 25, 26 with the charge Vof dry lsand in the latter. The liushometer valve 103 is adjusted to supply a' quantity of water commensurate with the adjusted capacity of the sand-measuring hops,

per 78.y The dry sand is removed from the hopper 26 (as .by inverting the balancing hoppers) and the machine is thereupon ready for operation.l vThe three supply bins 20, 21 and 22 having been Ifilled, the cement and sand descend into the measuring hoppers 7 7 and 78 which are upright, filling them. At this stage, the balancing hoppers 25 and 26 and the coarse aggregate hopper 39 are invverted. The hand lever 122 is then rocked,

bringing the teeth of the worm gear 116 into l mesh with the worm 110. The gear 116 thereupon makes one revolution turning the balancing hopper and the coarse aggregate hop- 4 per into upright position and at the same time inverting the measuring hop-pers 77, 78. During this half rotation of the hoppers, the charges of cement and sand which have' been received by the measuring hoppers are emptied into the respective balancing hoppers 'per isl also in position to receive a charge from the-supply bin 22. The valve 100 is thereupon opened and water is allowed toA iow into the sand hopper 26 until the balancing frame is tilted to close the contact and .actuate the signal 71, whereupon the' operator closes the Water valve and opens the iushometer valve. 98 to discharge into one mixer or the other a quantity ofwash Water as previously described, the flap valve 132 being positioned toopen the chute leading into the mixer into which the wash Water is delivered. The moments of the various weights which result in thebalancing of the hoppers 25, .26 are diagrammatioally illustrated in Figure 19. This figure also shows clearly the purpose of the various steps in the adjustment and operation of the balance `outlined in the foregoing description. The.

operator now rocks the hand lever 122 again with the result that the balancing hoppers 25,

26 and the coarse aggregate hopper 39 are simultaneously inverted, dumping their contents into the lower hopper 32 `and thence concrete. The water content in the batch is, i;

by means of the apparatus previously described, in a predetermined fixed ratio to the cement in the batch, so thatthestrength of the concrete produced from the mixer can be accurately determined and controlled, the water ratio values of succeeding batches being practically identical. As the balancing hoppers are inverted, the sand and cement measuring hoppers are righted and as they reach their upright position, the flushometer valve 103 is opened so that a charge of 4sand mingled with suicient water to nearly saturate it descends into the measuring hopper 78, while a charge of cement descends into the hopper 77. This completes one cycle of operations which may be repeated indefinitely. 7

The framework supporting the various parts of the apparatus has not been described in detail. It is made as light and strong as possible in view of the hard usage to which mechanism of this kind is liable to get. A machine of this typel large enough to handle two-bag mixes of concrete (i. e. where eachA batch of cement is the equivalent of two bags or 188 pounds, and the aggregates are in desired proportion to this quantity of cement) is of considerable size and cannot easily be transported'in one piece from one job to another. I therefore prefer to make the apparatus in two or more sections which can be set up and bolted together, and afterwards taken down for transportation. A machine of the two-bag size if separated into two of the storage bins, can be loaded readily on two Hat cars with an ordinary construction crane. This line of division leaves all the working part-s in place and permits a simple and rapid assembling 'for operation on a new location. If desired, the apparatus can readily be made so as to be taken down into smaller sections.

Having thus described an embodiment of my invention, it should be evident to those skilled in the art that many changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from its spirit or scope as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

l.v In a concrete hatching machine, a frame, means mounted on said frame for measuring pre-determined volumes of two solid ingredients, one of which may he wet, means mounted on said frame in a position to' receive charges ofsaid ingredients from said measuring means andto balance the dry ingredient against -thev water with the wet ingredient said balancing means including counterweights counterbalancing the dry weight of the wet ingredient, and means for adding water to that originally with the wet ingredient to make a total water content suilicientto counterbalance the dry ingredient.

2. In a concrete hatching machine, a frame, means mounted on said frame for measuring for vsuccessive batches predetermined volumes of cement and wet sand, means for weighing the cement against the Wet sand mounted on said frame in a position to receive measured volumes of cement and wet sand Jfrom said measuring means, and means for increasing the water content of the wet sand sufficiently to balance the cement, said weighing means having adjustahly fixed counterweights counterbalancing the dry weight of the sand.

3. In a concrete hatching machine, a frame, means mounted on said frame for measuring f or successive hatches predetermined volumes of cement and wet sand, means for Weighing the cement against the wet sand carried by said frame in a position to receive measured volumes of cement and wet sand from said measuring means, said weighing means including counterwei'ghts to counterbalance the `dry weight of the sand, means for adding vment and sand therefrom, and counterweights adjustable to counterbalance the dry weight of the measured sand.

5. In a concrete hatching machine, means for measuring predetermined volumes `of cement, sand, and coarse aggregate for successive batches, means for reducing the"sand as measured to standard hulk density, and means for obtaining a substantially constant water-cement ratio in successive hatches regargless of the moisture in the sand as measure 6, In a concrete hatching machine, a balancing frame, pivotal supports for said frame, a hopper mounted on said frame on either side of said pivotal supports, one of said hoppers being adjustable toward or away from said supports, and variable counterweights mounted on said frame.

7. In a concrete-hatching machine, a halancing frame, pivotal supports vfor said frame, a hopper mounted on said frame on either side of vsaid pivotal supports, one of said hoppers being adjustable toward or away from said supports, means for supplying material to one of said hoppers to counterhalance material previously placed in the other hopper, a signal, and means for operating said signal when the hoppers are balanced.

8. In a concrete hatching machine, a balancing frame, a hopper fixed to said frame adjacent one end thereof, a second hopper mounted on said frame adjacent the opposite end thereof for longitudinal adjustment thereon, pivot members secured to said frame between said hoppers permitting said frame to rock on a transverse axis through said pivots, means for limiting the range of rocking motion of the frame, and counterweights supported by said frame adjacent to one of said hoppers. Y

9. In a concrete hatching machine, a cradle comprising a frame mounted for rotation on its longitudinal axis, a rockahle frame pivotally supported within said cradle for rocking motion on a transverse axis, stop members on said cradle for limiting the rocking motion of the rockahle frame, and a pair ofhoppers mounted on said rockable frame adjacent the opposite ends thereof, one of said hoppers being adjustable toward or away from the rocking axis. p

10. In a concrete hatching machine, a

cradle comprising a frame, circular end members fixed to said frame, means for supporting said cradle for rotation about its longitudinal axis, a rockahle frame pivotally supported hy said cradle frame for rocking on a transverse axis, a sand-receiving hopper fixed to said rockable shaft adjacent one end thereof, a cement-receiving hopper adl jacent the opposite end of the rockahle frame and on the opposite side of said transverse axis, said cement-receiving hopper being adjustahle towardl or away from said transthereby.

11. In a concrete-hatching machine, a hopper mounted for rotation to assume successively upright and inverted positions, driving means for rotating said hopper, and

means for effecting a limited operative Conax` nection between said `driving means and said hopper for a single change of position thereof, said connecting means comprising a gear operatively associated with said hopper, said gear having a .toothless segment, a member associated with said driving means and-engageable with said gear to rotate said hopper, said member being disen aged from said gear when opposite to a toot less segment thereof, and means for moving said gear into engagement with said member.

12. In a concrete-batching machine, a plurality of hoppers, each being rotatably mounted to assume successively upright and two to one ratio whereby the angle of rotation of each hopper is half that of the shaft, a worm gear mounted on said shaft, said worm gear having a toothless segment, a

constantly driven worm engageable with said worm gear for driving connection with said hoppers, said worm being disengaged from said worm gear when opposite the toothless segment, and means for moving said worm gear into meshing engagement with said worm.

13. In a concrete-hatchingmachine, a pair of measuring hoppers coaxially mounted for simultaneous rotation on a horizontal axis, a pair of balancinghoppers disposed respectively beneath said measuring hoppers, said balancing hoppers being mounted for rotation on a horizontal axis and geared to said measuring hoppers for `equal simultaneous rotation therewith, the gearing being such that when either pair of hoppers are upright, the other pair are inverted, a power driven member, means actuable to eli'ect a limited connection between said hoppers and said power driven member whereby the hoppers are rotated one halt' a turn only, means for delivering predetermined quantities of water to one of said measuring hoppers, said delivering means comprising a water-supply pipe, a flushometer valve in said pipe, and means for opening said valve when said measuring hopper is rotated to upright position, means for supplying water to one of said Weighing hoppers, a slgnal, and means for operating said signal when suiicient water has been supplied to said weighing hopper to bring the total water content thereof to a predetermined weight. l

' 14. In a concrete-hatching machine, a pair of concrete mixers, means for rotating said mixers, delivery chutes movable into position to remove the contents of the rotating mixers, feed chutesleading into the mixers, a receiving hopper communicating with the upper ends of said feed chutes, a valve member between said receiving hopper and feed chutes, means for measuring out predetermined volumes of cement and sandmeans for supplying a quantity of water to the sand suiiicient to make the total weight of water which is mixed with the sand bear a predetermined ratio to the Weight of the measured cement, means Jfor dumping the measured cement, sand, and Water into said receiving hopper, means for controlling the movements of said delivery chutes, means for controlling said valve member, means for controlling said measuring means, and means for controlling said Water supply, all said controlling means being located within reach of a singleoperator.

15. The step in hatching cement, damp sand and water for a concrete mixture which comprises counterbalancing the dry weight of a batch of sand and weighing a batch of cement against an amount of water to be mixed therewith having a predetermined weight ratio to the cement and including the original moisture in the sand and Water added thereto.

16. The steps in batching cement, damp sand and water for a concrete mixture which comprise counterbalancing the dry weight of a batch of sand; measuring a batch of cement by volume7 and weighing the measured cement against a quantity of water to be mixed therewith having a predetermined weight ratio to the cement and including the original moisture in thesand and water added thereto.

17. The steps in hatching cement, damp sand and water for a concrete mixture having a predetermined water-cement ratio, which comprise measuring a fixed amount of water for Vwashing the mixer which is to receive the ingredients of the mixture, introducing the washing water independently into the mixer, measuring a batch of cement by volume, placing the measured cement on one side of a balance and the damp sand on the other side of said balance, the centers of gravity of the cement and damp sand having respective distances from the fulcrum of the balance in a ratio substantially equal to said water-cement ratio, counterweighting on the cement side of the balance for-the moment' of the dry Weight of the sand about the tul- Crum of the balance diminished by the moment of the Washing Water independently supplied to the mixer, adding to the damp sand sucient additional Water to balance the opposed moments of cement, counter- Weights, sand, and Water, and bringing togcther said balanced cement, sand, and Water and said Washing Water.

18.*The steps in batching ingredients for a concrete mixture Which comprise measuring batches of cement and Wet sand by volume, balancing said batches with counter- Weights and Water added to the Wet sand whereby the moments of the dry Weight of the sand and of the counterweights are equal and opposite, and the moments of the cement and of the Water associated with the sand are equal and opposite.

19. The steps in hatching ingredients for 'a concrete mixture, which comprise measuring batches of cement and Wet sand to have a predetermined ratio by volume, counter- Weighting the dry Weight of the sand, and adding suiicient Water to that already with the sand to make the total quantity of Water with the sand bear a predetermined ratio by Weight to the batch of cement..

20. The steps in batching ingredients for concrete which com rise measuring a batch of sand, drying said sand, balancing said sand and the portion of the balancing apparatus on one side of the balancing axis against countervveights and the portion of the balancing apparatus on the other side, measuring a batch of cement, supporting said cement on the side of said aXis opposite to the sand, and re-balancing the apparatus by adding Water to the sand.

21. The steps in the method of hatching vingredients for a concretev mixture, Which comprise measuring by volume batches of two of said ingredients, then Weighing the measured batches against each other and adding Water to one of them to bring it and the Water therewith up to predetermined Weight relative to the other.

ln testimony whereof lt have aiiixed my signature.

PAUL J. HALLRAN. 

